The Senses

Chapter 22

Xavier

Were there times in your lives where you just wanted to punch the world and scream 'BACK OFF!'? Yes, I'm pretty sure there were.

Zero sighed. "Here we go again."

"Bakit parang iba ang reaksyon niyo? Hindi ba kayo magmamakaawa na huwag ko silang patayin?" nalilitong tanong ni Kate.

As much as I shared the sentiment in her words, frequent excursions with Erebos made feel... tired? Or should I say experienced?

"Why can't you just let us rest?! Hindi ba pwedeng magpahinga kami ng isang linggo?!"

"I am not joking! Ibigay niyo sa akin ang Senses, kung hindi ay babarilin ko sila."

Tiningnan ko si Seine. Anong gagawin namin? May dalawang hostage si Kate at may baril din siya. Ibig sabihin kailangan naming sumunod sa kanya. Alam kong hindi niya kami babarilin dahil nasa sa amin ang Senses pero alam ko rin na hindi siya magdadalawang isip na barilin ang hostages niya.

"You know that we can't give them to you."

"I'll kill them if you don't!"

"Eh di patayin mo. Hindi ko naman sila kilala."

"Seine!"

Ano bang pumapasok sa ulo niya? Wala na ba siyang pakialam sa kung anong mangyayari sa ibang tao?

"Wait! Huwag mo silang papatayin."

"Xavier! Isang salita pa na galing sa iyo ay sisiguraduhin kong mawawalan ka ng malay dito!"

"Guys, let's just be kalma like for a while muna." Serene turned towards Kate. "And you crazy lady with the bang bang, you don't make patay sa hostages. In the first place, we need to make bigay our blood to you voluntarily. This situation is clearly you forcing us to give up the Senses."

I heard a slow clap. I thought Kate was the one that was doing it but I was confused when I saw Zero was the one clapping. "What are you doing?"

"What? That was the longest line that Serene said and it makes sense."

Oo nga no... Kung dapat naming ibigay ang Senses voluntarily, hindi ba dapat bawal ang paraan na ito kasi parang napipilitan lang kami?

"You just have to say the words, honey. You misunderstood the condition in transferring the Senses. When it said voluntarily, it means you gave up the Sense. It doesn't matter if you were forced. What matters is you gave up the Sense to save something much more important than it."

"A-ano ang ibig mong sabihin?"

"The Senses are very loyal to their hosts. That's why they try to protect their hosts with all their strength but in return, they should be treated as the first priority of the person who holds them. If by any chance you show any actions that you value something other than them..." She smirked. "The Sense will give other people the oppurtunity to host them."

I took a step back. "You make it sound like the Senses have personalities."

"Hmm, they don't actually have personalities. The Senses have rules created by the Tree of Hesperides. That thing was seriously obssesed over loyalty. That was why the Tree really felt betrayed when the ones who imprisoned it was the people it trusted the most."

It? Ano nga ba ang Tree of Hesperides? Bakit parang natatakot ako na malaman ang totoong kwento sa likod ng Hesperides. Parang may nagsasabi sa akin na hindi ko dapat alamin kung ano man ang nangyari sa Tree of Hesperides?

"Tama na ang kwentuhan, ibigay niyo na sa akin ang dugo niyo at ang Senses. Papatayin ko lang kayo pero bubuhayin ko ang tatlong tao na matitira dito."

Tatlong tao... Si Pan, Nathaniel at Zero. Para magamit ang dugo namin, kailangang patay niya kaming mga Senses. Tumingin ako sa kanila ni Seine. Sandali lang... Bakit parang kanina pa siya nagsasalita at sinasagot ang mga tanong namin? It's not like she has some obligation to answer our questions.